Civilian Bullet-Proof Shield

ABSTRACT

A shield has a rectangular body, a first rollerball bearing assembly mounted in a first bracket joined to the body, such that the first bracket extends away from the left vertical edge of the body, a second rollerball bearing assembly mounted in a second bracket such that the second bracket extends away from the right vertical edge of the body, and the spacing between the first and the second rollerball bearing assemblies is greater than the width of the body. The body rests on the rollerball bearing assemblies when standing and a user, is enabled to hold the shield oriented vertically and to move the shield side-to-side, and the user is further enabled to tilt the shield back toward the user, transferring support to wheels rather than the rollerball bearing assemblies, and is then enabled to move the shield forward and backward on the wheels.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED DOCUMENTS

The present application is a continuation-in-part application ofco-pending application Ser. No. 16/936,072, filed Jul. 22, 2020, whichis a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 16/713,823, filed Dec.13, 2019, and all disclosure of the parent case is incorporated at leastby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the technical area of bullet-proof shieldsand pertains more particularly to apparatus to protect people in groupsfrom attack by particularly gun (or knife) wielding assailants.

2. Description of Related Art

There exist in the art many forms and varieties of bullet-proof shields,most of which are apparatus to be carried for protection and used in anoffensive manner with a firearm. There seems to be an unmet need for ashielding apparatus usable by civilians in a situation such as anassailant in a school/office setting, or other setting where arelatively large group of potential victims is assembled. There are manywell-known instances, for example, of attacks in schools, where studentsare caught by surprise, and must run or hide for protection.

What is clearly needed is a large shield with wheels or rollerballs (dueto the weight of the shield) capable of stopping all manner of firearms,especially assault rifles, that may be used by one person to providecover from an assailant or to hit/ram the attacker with the shield toprotect other potential victims.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the invention a shield is provided, comprising arectangular body having a height of at least sixty inches, a width of atleast twenty-four inches, a front side and a back side, left and rightvertical edges, and a topmost edge and a lowermost edge, the body formedof a bullet-resistant material, with a thickness of at least one-eighthinch, one or more window openings centered on the width of the body andpositioned in an upper half of the body, bullet-resistant glass panes inthe one or more windows, enabling a user to see through the body,handles positioned along edges of the body on the backside, a firstrollerball bearing assembly comprising an upper housing and a rollerballwith a portion of the rollerball extending below the upper housing,mounted in a first bracket joined to the body proximate the lowermostedge and the left vertical edge, such that the first bracket extendsaway from the left vertical edge of the body, a second rollerballbearing assembly comprising an upper housing and a rollerball with aportion of the rollerball extending below the upper housing, mounted ina second bracket joined to the body proximate the lowermost edge and theright vertical edge, such that the second bracket extends away from theright vertical edge of the body, and the spacing between the first andthe second rollerball bearing assemblies is greater than the width ofthe body, and two wheels on axles with axes in the direction of thewidth of the body, the wheels positioned by brackets joined to thebackside of the body proximate the lowermost edge, such that with thebody vertically oriented and supported on the rollerball bearingassemblies the wheels are proximate the ground or floor surface but nottouching, wherein the body rests on the rollerball bearing assemblieswhen standing upright or when tipped back no more than 10 degrees. Auser, grasping the handles, is enabled to hold the shield orientedvertically supported on the rollerball bearing assemblies and to movethe shield side-to-side on the rollerball of the rollerball bearingassemblies, and wherein the user is further enabled to tilt the shieldback toward the user, transferring support to the wheels rather than therollerball bearing assemblies, and is then enabled to move the shieldforward and backward on the ground or floor surface on the wheels.

In one embodiment the shield further comprises a cushioning pad offlexible, compressible material affixed to the back surface of the bodyand having openings for the widow openings. In one embodiment the shieldfurther comprises an upper handle extended upward from a top surface ofthe shield body, across more than half the width of the body. In oneembodiment the handles are cylindrical and oriented substantiallyvertically. And in one embodiment the handles are cylindrical andoriented at an angle to vertical of at least fifteen degrees, the top ofeach handle closer to the shield body.

In one embodiment of the shield the rollerball bearing assemblies eachcomprise a framework having a polymer ball of at least two inches indiameter turning against ball bearings in the framework. And in oneembodiment the shield further comprises a stand assembly comprisingvertical struts pivoted in hinges positioned about midway on the heightof the body proximate opposite side edges of the body, the verticalstruts joined by a lateral strut, such that the vertical struts may beextended at an angle to the back side of the body to support the shieldstationary at an angle to the ground or floor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an apparatus in one embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 1B is a partial view of the apparatus of FIG. 1A showing analternative handle.

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theapparatus, with three windows.

FIG. 2A is a side elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B is a side elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 2A tilted onto the wheels.

FIG. 3A is an elevation view of an apparatus in an alternativeembodiment.

FIG. 3B is an elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 3A tilted on tothe wheels.

FIG. 4A is a side elevation view of an apparatus in another alternativeembodiment.

FIG. 4B is an elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 4A tilted onto thewheels.

FIG. 5A is a front elevation view of a shield apparatus in a preferredembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5B is a side elevation view of the shield of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C illustrates a shield in yet another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5D illustrates a shield in yet another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a back elevation view of a shield in another embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an apparatus 100 in one embodiment ofthe invention. Apparatus 100 comprises in this example a curved body 101of a substantial height, in this example six feet (72 inches) tall. Inother embodiments the height may vary, in part to accommodate users ofdifferent height. The body in most embodiments is at least 60 incheshigh. Body 101 may be formed of single metal, such as cold-rolled steel,multi-metal laminates, ballistic steel, Kevlar™, or potentially anymaterial capable of stopping a bullet. In this example the overall widthof the curved body is at least twenty-four inches, but both the heightand the width may vary somewhat in different embodiments. The thicknessmay be at least one-eighth inch but may be thicker in many embodiments.A central purpose is to provide a shield that will protect completely astanding person.

Apparatus 100 in one embodiment has two wheels 105 at the lowerextremity, the wheels on axels that extend from the body orthogonal to aplane defined by the front edges of the body. In a preferred embodimentthe wheels are inboard of the edges of the side edges of the shield asshown. The wheels are of a diameter, and the axels at a height, thatwith the body supported on its bottom surface the wheels are justtouching the supporting surface but bear no weight.

In this example a cushioning pad 102 of from one to three inches inthickness is implemented on the inside of body 101 as shown in FIG. 1.The pad may be thinner or thicker in other embodiments. This pad may beformed of any convenient compressible material, such as synthetic ornatural foam rubber, or other compressible polymer material. In oneembodiment the pad may be a shell of fabric stuffed with cushioningmaterial. The pad may be joined to body 101 in one example by a strongadhesive. In some embodiments the pad may be nearly the full height ofbody 101, and in others of a lesser height, as shown in FIG. 1. In thisexample pad 102 extends nearly to the top of the body. A purpose of thepadding material relates to a principal use of the shield. In someembodiments the shield may be maneuvered by a user to attack anassailant, such as by pushing the shield with force into the assailant,while the body protects the user against gunfire from the assailant. Thecushioning pad 102 is to protect the user from sudden shock in such ause. The attached pad will also reduce vibration of the shield whenstruck by a projectile, making it more comfortable to hold.

In this example a bullet-proof window 103 is implemented through anopening in body 101 and also through cushioning pad 102. A purpose ofthe window is to enable the user to see the assailant, and to be able tomaneuver the shield without exposing the user to gunfire or otherreaction from the assailant. The vertical nature of the window allowsfor users of varying heights to see clearly through the shield. In analternative embodiment shown in FIG. 1C there may be multiple widows,perhaps three, one above the other, through the cushioning pad.

Two handle assemblies 104 are fastened to the inner surface (concaveside) of body 101 as shown in FIG. 1 in this example. Each handleassembly 104 comprises a vertically oriented handle 107. In oneembodiment the handles may be from about eight inches to as much astwenty-four inches long, and from one to two inches in diameter, butthese dimensions may also vary in other embodiments. The handles wouldtypically be padded and may be spaced apart from body 101 by as much asten to twelve inches, to enable a user to run with the shield held bythe handles and if needed, to be rolled on its wheels 105. In attackingan assailant velocity may be quite important. The vertical nature of thedouble handles allows for users of varying heights tocomfortably/efficiently handle/manipulate the shield. Due to the weightand handle design the shield would also not be useful for an activeshooter if they tried to use one to their advantage.

Apparatus 100 in one embodiment has a storage loop 106 fastened to body101 in this embodiment at about the middle of the body horizontally.Loop 106 in this example is a flattened oval providing both a loop tohang the apparatus from a wall hook, and a handle to be grasped by theuser to help move and tilt the apparatus in use.

FIG. 2A is a side elevation view of the apparatus of FIG. 1, standingupright on a floor, supported on the base of the curved body. It may beseen in this view that wheels 105 are very close to the floor, but donot touch, and bear no weight of the apparatus. In this example leadingedges 108 of the curved shield at the floor line are rounded.

FIG. 2B illustrates apparatus 100 of FIG. 2A tilted backward by a userholding handles 107, such that the wheels contact the supporting surfaceand bear the weight of the apparatus. In a typical use case, there maybe, for example, a shield according to an embodiment of this inventionin a classroom of a school, stored on a hook on a wall of the classroom.Assume that an outside person, for whatever reason, comes into theschool, presents a threat, and the teacher or another occupant in theclassroom becomes aware of the threat. The occupant may quickly accessthe rolling shield from its storage place on the wall and maneuver theshield to face the classroom door. Should the intruder enter theclassroom, the user of the shield may be able to shield herself, andpossibly others as well, and may charge the intruder with the shield.This should at least discourage the intruder. If other persons in theschool also access shields of this sort, and face the intruder as well,or provide a bullet-proof screen in hallways, the situation may bebrought under control for enough time for first responders to arrive andtake control. In any case, access to a shield of this sort, especiallyif there is no avenue of escape, should provide at least some effectiveprotection from the intruder.

In another embodiment of the invention, shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, arolling shield is provided with somewhat different elements than theembodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B. Thisversion is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. FIG. 3A illustrates a rollingshield 300 comprising a substantially flat shield body 301. Body 301 hasthe same storage loop 106 as the embodiment referring to FIGS. 2A and2B. A cushioning pad 302 is affixed to an inside surface of body 301 andis essentially the same as cushioning pad 102 described above.

Cushioning pad 302 has an opening for a window 303, the same asdescribed above for the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B. Handles 307 oneither side fasten by posts 304 to body 301 and the handles areessentially the same as handles 107 described above. Wheels 105 fastento body 301 by axels through brackets 308 and are positioned to nearlytouch the floor surface with body 301 resting on the floor surface. Thewheels are positioned forward as shown. There is, in this example, abracket 309 fastened to the front of the body to aid in balancing theapparatus when sitting upright on the floor surface. This bracket isoptional, as, in some uses, the apparatus will hang from loop 106 on awall surface when not in use.

FIG. 3B shows apparatus 300 tilted to bear weight of the apparatus onwheels 105. In this aspect the rolling shield may be deployed asdescribed above for apparatus 100. Apparatus 300 may be less expensiveto produce than apparatus 100, and may also be amenable to moreefficient storage, by virtue of the flat aspect of the body.

An alternative embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The salientdifference in this embodiment is that the handle assemblies are providedto be at an angle A with vertical, such that when the apparatus is usedat an angle, as shown in FIG. 4B, the handles are vertical, enabling abetter grip for the user than might be the case in the handles of FIGS.3A and 3B. The same tilted handle feature may also be used on theembodiment of FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B.

The inventor has discovered that the embodiments disclosed above have adisadvantage in some circumstances of use. If in use of the shield auser must move the shield quickly to the left or to the right, thismaneuver is not easily done with the two-wheel arrangement describedabove, wherein, with the shield body resting on the ground or floorlevel the two wheels are slightly above the ground or floor level, andthe wheels are brought into play by tilting the shield back toward theuser. The inventor has therefore developed an embodiment that may bequickly and easily be moved to the left and right without tilting theshield onto the two wheels.

The shield of the present invention, as described in embodiments above,is provided in some embodiments with a laterally curved body, and inother embodiments with a substantially flat, planar body. The newembodiment for easy side-to-side movement may be provided in a somewhatdifferent way for the curved body versions and the flat body versions.

FIG. 5A is an elevation view of a flat body shield 500 considered by theinventor to be a preferred embodiment. Body 501 in this embodiment isflat and has material specs and dimensions as described above. There isa cushion 502, a bullet-proof window 503 and handles 504. There is a setof extended wheel assemblies 505 as also described above. Shield 500 hasa wide upper handle 512 which may be of a width half or more of thetotal width of body 501 of the shield. There is further a stand assembly507 comprising vertical struts 508 pivoted in hinges 509 and having endboots 510. Vertical struts 508 are joined by a single lateral strut 511so the vertical struts move together.

A bottom edge of shield body 501 has, in this example, two cut-outregions wherein two large rollerball bearing assemblies are joined tothe body, such that the flat shield body rests on the balls of theserollerball assemblies when standing upright, or when tipped back no morethan 10 degrees. The balls of the rollerball bearing assemblies in thisexample are made of a high molecular weight polymer and may be as largeas four inches in diameter. There are ball bearings in the upper housingupon which the large polymer balls rotate.

FIG. 5B is a side elevation view of the shield of FIG. 5A. The standassembly 507 is extended in this view, and the shield is supported bythe stand assembly on the wheels of wheel assemblies 505, tilted at anangle. In one embodiment struts 508 may be telescoping assemblies thatmay be extended and retracted to change the angle of tilt when theshield is supported on the stand assembly. There may be more than tworollerball assemblies 506.

FIG. 5C is an elevation view of a flat shield like that of FIG. 5A withone difference. The shield in FIG. 5C has rollerballs bearings 506 addedby first installing the bearings in a track 514 which is the width ofthe shield body, and then fastening the track to the body of the shieldalong the bottom edge, as shown. There may be more than the tworollerball bearings 506 shown.

FIG. 5D illustrates a flat shield similar to that of FIG. 5C with adifference that lateral motion is supported by two wheels 513 ratherthan by rollerball bearings as in the embodiments of FIGS. 5A, B and C.In the embodiment of FIG. 5D a user may hold the flat shield bodyupright or tipped back up to 9 degrees by handles 504, with the weightresting on wheels 513, and may move the shield easily and quicklyside-to-side, and at any time may tilt the shield back onto wheels 505to move the shield forward and back.

FIG. 6 is a back elevation view of a shield according to yet anotherembodiment of the invention. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5A,5B and 5C rollerball bearings are shown incorporated into the body ofthe shield along a bottom edge of the shield. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 6 separate brackets 601 a and 601 b are fastened to shield body 501on opposite sides near the bottom edge, to hold rollerball bearings 506.It may be noted that stand assembly 507 is not illustrated in FIG. 6.This for convenience in illustrating the mounting of the brackets. Thestand assembly may be present in some embodiments with the outwardlyextending brackets. Brackets 601 a and 601 b in this example are joinedto body 501 by conventional fasteners 602, which may be, for example,machine bolts. The positioning of the brackets is such that rollerballbearing 506 are maintained at the same height relative to the bottomedge of the shield body that is attained in the embodiment shown inFIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C. So, with the shield supported on the rollerballbearings in the embodiments of FIGS. 5A,B C and FIG. 6, the spacingunder the bottom edge of the shield to the floor is the same.

The skilled person will understand that brackets 601 a and 601 b may befashioned in a number of different ways to mount the rollerballbearings. The brackets may also be provided to mount specific rollerballbearings. In one embodiment the position of the brackets relative to thebody of the shield may be adjusted vertically. There may, for example,be slots in the mounting portion of the brackets to accomplish such anadjustment.

The person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that theembodiments described herein are entirely exemplary, and do not limitthe scope of the invention. The invention may be implemented in a numberof ways that may be suggested by the embodiments described, but notexplicitly described. The invention is limited only by the claims thatfollow.

1. A shield, comprising: a rectangular body having a height of at leastsixty inches, a width of at least twenty-four inches, a front side and aback side, left and right vertical edges, and a topmost edge and alowermost edge, the body formed of a bullet-resistant material, with athickness of at least one-eighth inch; one or more window openingscentered on the width of the body and positioned in an upper half of thebody; bullet-resistant glass panes in the one or more windows, enablinga user to see through the body; handles positioned along edges of thebody on the backside; a first rollerball bearing assembly comprising anupper housing and a rollerball with a portion of the rollerballextending below the upper housing, mounted in a first bracket joined tothe body proximate the lowermost edge and the left vertical edge, suchthat the first bracket extends away from the left vertical edge of thebody; a second rollerball bearing assembly comprising an upper housingand a rollerball with a portion of the rollerball extending below theupper housing, mounted in a second bracket joined to the body proximatethe lowermost edge and the right vertical edge, such that the secondbracket extends away from the right vertical edge of the body, and thespacing between the first and the second rollerball bearing assembliesis greater than the width of the body; and two wheels on axles with axesin the direction of the width of the body, the wheels positioned bybrackets joined to the backside of the body proximate the lowermostedge, such that with the body vertically oriented and supported on therollerball bearing assemblies the wheels are proximate the ground orfloor surface but not touching; wherein the body rests on the rollerballbearing assemblies when standing upright, and wherein a user, graspingthe handles, is enabled to hold the shield oriented vertically supportedon the rollerball bearing assemblies and to move the shield side-to-sideon the rollerball of the rollerball bearing assemblies, and wherein theuser is further enabled to tilt the shield back toward the user,transferring support to the wheels rather than the rollerball bearingassemblies, and is then enabled to move the shield forward and backwardon the ground or floor surface on the wheels.
 2. The shield of claim 1further comprising a cushioning pad of flexible, compressible materialaffixed to the back surface of the body and having openings for thewidow openings.
 3. The shield of claim 1 further comprising an upperhandle extended upward from a top surface of the shield body, acrossmore than half the width of the body.
 4. The shield of claim 1 whereinthe handles are cylindrical and oriented substantially vertically. 5.The shield of claim 1 wherein the handles are cylindrical and orientedat an angle to vertical of at least fifteen degrees, the top of eachhandle closer to the shield body.
 6. The shield of claim 1 wherein therollerball bearing assemblies each comprise a framework having a polymerball of at least two inches in diameter turning against ball bearings inthe framework.
 7. The shield of claim 1 further comprising a standassembly comprising vertical struts pivoted in hinges positioned aboutmidway on the height of the body proximate opposite side edges of thebody, the vertical struts joined by a lateral strut, such that thevertical struts may be extended at an angle to the back side of the bodyto support the shield stationary at an angle to the ground or floor.